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August 18, 2010
Kia Under Scrutiny After Steering Shaft Falls Out of Soul
By Jen Dunnaway
Editor
The NTHSA almost never investigates an automaker for a single incident of component failure, but they decided this one was serious enough to look into: the steering shaft of a brand-new, low-miles Kia Soul literally fell apart in the driver’s hands, uncoupling at the steering wheel and resulting in a complete loss of steering ability. The shaft also slumped down in such a way as to partially block access to the brake pedal, compounding an already awkward driving situation. The Kia was 2 months old and had only 4300 miles on the clock, and it sounds like what happened is someone forgot to tighten something down at the factory. But damn.
What do you think: just another example of cheap newfangled junk predictably falling to pieces? Or a freak occurrence that could happen to anything?
Via Carscoop.
May 3, 2010
The Formula: Making Big Bucks With Small Cars
By David Clarke
highspeedhijinks
It was reported last week that Kia had a pretty bangin’ first three months of 2010. How bangin’? Well, their profits didn’t just double or triple–they quadrupled. Kia saw last year’s January-to-March income of of 88.2 million balloon to a staggering $358 million in their profits. Credit where credit is due–I strongly believe that two crucial factors played into the dramatic increase. One is Kia’s marketing during the Superbowl. Between the hamsters and the toys-come-to-life, they grabbed America’s cute funny bone and walked it all the way to the bank. The second factor is what they are marketing in those ads. That something has popped up in many shapes during the 110 years of the automobile, but the formula is still the same. Follow the jump to see what I mean.
Continue reading "The Formula: Making Big Bucks With Small Cars" »
April 1, 2010
NYIAS: The Kia Invasion
By Jim Brennan
UDMan
One of the most amazing things about Kia is they way they have shed their crapbox image in the matter of a couple of years. More and more, they are now producing vehicles that people actually want, rather than settle for because of their budget. Some examples include the redesigned Sportage, the brand new Forte 5-Door, and the star of the Kia Line, the all new Optima.
March 1, 2010
See the Resemblance?
By Rob Einaudi
Editor-in-Chief
Neither do I, but the guy who designed the car on the left owns the car on the right, and claims to be heavily influenced by Detroit designs of the late 60s and early 70s. Read the full article on Kia designer Michael Torpey at Auto Trader Classics
February 16, 2010
Fireball’s Cool Designs of the Week
By Fireball Tim
Movie Car Design Master
Been off doing time consuming things. Important stuff, like finding a diecast of a car that was never made into a diecast. And in that time, some cool cars have appeared. Thanks to John Heer, Rachel Dawson and Mr. Speedy who added to this week’s lot.
Since the word “cool” is now officially the best word on the planet… I give you some Cool Designs For the Week. From concepts to ‘realies’ to crazies. Oh, and if you’re n Vegas this week, come by my booth at Circus Circus and get a free t-shirt. Just mention the Car Domain Blog… and say “Hey, Fireball! GIVE IT TO ME NOW AND GIVE IT TO ME FREE!”
In order of whatever, this week’s lineup is super duper pooper. Ok, let’s begin…
1) A Bentley Concept. Big. Silver. Expensive. No free toothbrush. 2) Finally, a Buick that looks cool. The Regal GS. 3) Big Phat Yellow Widebody Camaro. Take it and light ‘er up. Done. 4) The Kia Ray Concept. Sneaky little Kia people creating coolness without even tellin’ us! 5) My personal fav, the Lambo Murcielago… ala new. I want it, AND I WANT IT NOW! 6) The Maserati Tramontane. Not sure exactly what’s going on here… but a cool shot, eh? 7) My early Speed Racer concept called Metal Juice. Don’t think it would make it into my driveway, though. 
And finally, a sneaking Bentley Shooting Brake. More room for your Bullion.
Ridiculous amount of things going on this week. All new website, new toy, big show in Vegas and I’m buying a Toblerone. The BIG one. Peace.
November 3, 2009
The Kia Booth at SEMA: The Coming of Age for Kia
By Jim Brennan
UDMan
If you haven’t been paying attention to Kia, you should. Kia is one of only a few car companies who’s sales has either stayed flat, or have actually improved during these tough economic times. The product is becoming more desirable, rather than just acceptable as it has been in the past. Along with better product, Kia – along with its parent Hyundai – offer a generous warranty, and increasing residual values so that they are on par with most of the domestic car makers. They have successfully shed the “junk” image that they were saddles with when they first came into the country. Their booth at SEMA reflects each of these achievements.
Continue reading "The Kia Booth at SEMA: The Coming of Age for Kia" »
April 22, 2009
The Kia Soul is a Pleasant Surprise
By Rob Einaudi
Editor-in-Chief
I love surprises. I love finding that I already assigned a story that I thought had fallen through the cracks, and I love hearing from old friends. The Kia Soul is a most pleasant surprise. To be honest, I expected some sort of cut-rate boxy transport device.
While it is shaped like a box, the details are extremely impressive for this class of car. I’m talking about switches, knobs and interior details that easily meet—and in some cases beat—those found in similar vehicles from Japan. Look out world, the Koreans really are here.
April 9, 2009
NYIAS: Kia Forte and Forte Koup
By Jim Brennan
UDMan
Kia had one of the most offbeat releases at the New York International Auto Show. It started with the introduction of the designer of the new Soul, as well as the designer of the Forte, with a skit that put them both in these odd shaped egg chairs, so that their minds could be read. Everyone thought it was cute, but that doesn’t discount the fact that Kia has been on a roll lately. And the Forte Koup is another example of this. Continue reading after the jump!
February 9, 2009
The Mother Lode Rally: Pre-run in a Rental Part 1
By Mike Musto
RideLust.com
Y’all are going to have to bear with me on this one cause it may be a long blog. I spent the last ten days driving across the continental United States on a scouting trip for the upcoming Mother Lode Road Rally which runs from May 15th to the 22nd of this year. We started in Chicago, IL and made our way west to our final destination of San Diego, CA some 3,100 miles later.
Obviously one immediate concern about driving across the United States in the dead of winter was the weather. We simply had no idea what the elements were going to bombard us with. So we set out to get the right vehicle for our journey west.
Continue reading after the jump!
Continue reading "The Mother Lode Rally: Pre-run in a Rental Part 1" »
January 12, 2009
Electric Vehicle Fail
Atomicalex
If you have an electric car, it should probably have a working ground system. This Kia Borrego outfitted with a fuel cell powertrain had some major fail when the terminal on the main ground strap broke in half. Ooooops! One more pic after the jump.
